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By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

CALERA – Three of the Calera Eagles’ top senior athletes made their college decisions official alongside each other at a special joint signing day ceremony.

Calera’s AJ Johnson signed to play football at Southwestern Mississippi Community College while Jaiden Brown and DJ White will play college baseball together at Tuskegee University.

The All-County First Team selection Johnson said it was a big moment for him to get an opportunity to showcase his skills in college.

“It was a dream come true to go play college ball somewhere and just get the opportunity to show what I have,” Johnson said.

For Brown, it was the culmination of years of hard work.

“It means a lot, knowing all the stuff I put into baseball and all the years I’ve had doing all this stuff,” Brown said. “It’s an accomplishment that I’ve been meaning to do for the longest (time). I’m just glad I got to do it.”

White was grateful for the opportunity after taking a more unconventional journey to playing college baseball.

“It’s something that I know I’ve been looking forward to for a long time,” White said. “I started playing baseball kind of late compared to a lot of other people, I started probably like fourth or fifth grade, so I knew from then it was going to be a long road for me compared to everyone else.”

One of the key factors for Johnson’s decision was the new coaching staff at Southwest. He believes their camaraderie along with their new offense will give him and his new teammates the best chance to succeed at the next level.

“It was really the coaching staff,” Johnson said. “The way that they were all new to each other just now getting there and just how well they all get along with each other and also the way the offense is going to be ran, the system and everything, the scheme and stuff, and the guys that they have bringing in, I feel like I really have a good chance for me to succeed with my other teammates that’ll be there.”

Both White and Brown said that Tuskegee assistant coach Dimitri Densmore Jr. played a big role in getting them to come to play for the Tigers.

“Coach Densmore, the way he communicated with me compared to other coaches, and when I went down on a visit, just like the atmosphere down there, it really felt like home,” White said.

For Brown though, it getting the chance to continue playing multiple positions as a pitcher and a member of the outfield that made him see the amount of trust that Densmore and the coaching staff had in him.

“When I reached out to Densmore, he’s allowing me to do both of the things I love doing, being a two-way, pitching and doing outfield, so I just knew once he let me do that, I just knew he had the faith in me, so I knew it was home,” Brown said.

Brown and White were not only excited to sign together at the same signing ceremony with friends and teammates by their side. They were also looking forward to playing college ball together and continuing their friendship.

“Knowing I have DJ beside me coming to the same school as just one of my best friends is great, and then AJ signing as well, it’s a family,” Brown said. “Calera is on the up-rise, and seeing all my other teammates there to show support, it was great.”

Johnson said that the three of them all playing college sports is something that they have dreamed about for many years now. He said that signing on the same day was just another special part of the bond they have fostered since playing youth sports together.

“It’s really been something we’ve been talking about since we were five because the way we’ve all grown up together, we’re so close and tight,” Johnson said. “It’s one thing that we’ve really been talking about for a while now.”

Johnson thanked his family, God and his coaches, in particular coach Scott Rials after he came to Calera for Johnson’s senior season.

White gave his appreciation for his parents as well as all of his coaches, including Damon Brooks, coach Travis and all of his high school coaches.

Moore also thanked his family and coaches, including his Nana, who had a profound impact on him, along with his mom, sister, grandfather and Calera baseball coach Joe Sparacino for training him up to be a college baseball player.